Alleged Illegal Appointments Tear FEDPOLY Ede Apart

The hues and cries generated with the alleged illegal appointments, upgrading and conversion of some staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State who are said to be relations of the incumbent Rector, Dr. Ade Kolawole Johnson-Edaogbogun and some allied management staff is currently tearing the institution apart.

Investigation conducted by CityMirrorNews revealed that he institution is currently in financial mess following the continue payment of unapproved migration allowance to workers on CONTIS 01 to 11, a development that makes it difficult for the management of the institution to muster the necessary fund for re-accreditation of all the courses and programmes of the school which was done last in year 2012.

The Registrar, Mr O.A. Ogunleye and the Rector are currently said to be at loggerheads over the issue which has continued to deplete the finances of the institution and created a major impasse between high ranking members of management

CityMirrorNews learnt that 11 new staff were recently given temporary appointments without the knowledge of the Registrar, Mr Ogunleye who is also the Secretary of the institution’s Governing Council as most of the new appointees are direct sons and daughters of the Rector and his allies.

Checks made revealed that the Rector’s son, Mr. Goodness Edaogbogun was appointed Lecturer II to head the Centre for Innovation Studies, a non-existing department in the Polytechnic, believed to have been created for the purpose.

Besides, the son of Director of Administration and Establishment Affairs Officer, Israel Aruwajoye was said to have been appointed as Assistant Lecturer and Head, Computer Science Department.

Approval for the fresh appointees were secured on 2nd January 2018 with reference number FPE/R/EA/1.44/90 issued and signed by the Director of Administration and Establishment Affairs Officer, Elder E. A. Aruwajoye.

On upgrading and Conversion, no fewer than 30 staff of the institution were recently upgraded and converted from one position to another higher positions late last year with its attendant financial implications on the polytechnic’s personnel wages and salaries.

The letter of appointments, upgrading and conversion were issued to the affected staff by the Director of Administration and Establishment Affairs Officer against the official duties of the Registrar of the institution.

It was gathered that the Registrar of the Polytechnic, O A Ogunleye was said to have dissociated himself from the appointments, upgrading and conversion of the staff on the ground that it does not follow due process and against the rules establishing the institution.

Due to the financial implication of the appointments and upgrading, the Bursar of the Polytechnic, R. O Bababunmi wrote to warn the Rector via memo dated 10th January 2018 with Reference FPE/BUR/REC/Vol X/5.1/637 that the appointment and upgrading has increase personnel cost by additional N9,632,971.85 stressing that the exercise was not captured in the 2018 personnel cost budget of the polytechnic.

The bursar noted in the memo that the school has been experiencing difficulties in full payment of salary and as at the end of last year 2017, “we have unpaid salary deduction and step down allowance of N69,081,577.72.

“Therefore any decision that will lead to any increase in our personnel cost will need to be properly analyzed and financial implication computed and provision made for it in the personnel budget. The financial implication of the recent upgrading/conversion is N9,632,971.85 only and this has not been included or capture in our 2018 personnel budget, hence the need to exercise a little patience and wait for the passage of 2018 budget now before the National Assembly before the implementation of these upgrading and conversion.

“Moreso, the Registrar is conventionally and statutorily in the best position to sign letters of appointments, upgrading/conversion and termination/disengagement from service as the case may be, but the Director of Administration and Establishment Affairs Officer signed in this case.

Arising from the above, the bursar declared, “I am advising that the implementation of the recent appointments, upgrading and conversion be allowed to wait till after the passage of 2018 budget when we can ascertain that we have fund for the implementation and the registrar should be allowed to sign all letters of upgrading and conversion. This is for your consideration and further directive sir.